Month: July 2017

Those who want to be Java certified professionals, the Java certification is necessary for them in order to be master of the language and to compete with others, who already have done a lot in the Java technology. Though one apply for the Java certification, so that he can become his career in Java, but through this certification one can be easily recognized in the IT industry and he or she can also prove the ability of programming. After Oracle acquisition over Sun Micro-system, the earlier Java certification exam SCJP has become now OCPJP and it consist of two exams, OCAJP and OCPJP.

Now as today the technology changes are taking place rapidly and so as for Java as well. It has been just one year, when Java8 was launched, and now people are discussing about its upcoming version, which will be Java9 and similarly there are many versions of this OCPJP exam, which are OCPJP 6, 7 and now Version 8. Sometimes it become difficult to decide that which certification exam will be good for having a promising and long lasting career in this technology. As Java is the technology, which is there in the market from a long time and is still popular and can provide a long lasting career to anyone.

If we talk about the version of the exam, for which one should go then for any certification exam, the good is to take the latest version which is version 8 in case of Java certification. Many of the exam aspirants remain confused about this question, and even some are still attempting Oracle 6 exam. There are certain points, which you should consider before buying the voucher for your Java certification exam, read the complete article to know the facts.

Popular Facts of Java Certification
One fact of the Java certification exam, which must be clear to the aspirant is that from Java 7 onward, the exam of Java has been divided in two parts one is Associate level and other is called Professional level. If you want to be Java 7 certified professional, then you will have to clear both the exams, which are OCAJP 7 and OCPJP 7, moreover if you are already Java certified and hold any earlier version Java certification, then you can give the upgrade exam version for Java SE7 or 8. Still some aspirants do not want to give two exams of Java, and are giving only single exam of OCPJP 6, which is similar to SCJP 6 and this certification, does not require any pre assessment or prior certification.

But it is always recommended that one should try to attempt the latest version of any certification exam and so as for Java. The latest version of Java certification is Java 8 or OCPJP 8. In order to become Java 8 certified professional, one will have to qualify firstly OCAJP 8 i.e. associate level exam version of this certification with exam code 1Z0-808 and then OCPJP 8 i.e professional level exam version of Java certification with exam code 1Z0-809.

The reason behind recommendation to attempt the latest OCPJP8 and OCAJP 8 is that, these exams cover a number of the newly introduced concepts in Java8 and by passing this exam, you will surely become able to stand apart from those, who have earlier version certifications. In Java 8 several new features have been introduced by the Oracle, which makes the language suitable and competitive as per today’s technical requirement of the market. Moreover either today or tomorrow, one will have to learn the new concepts, then why not today? Even you can show your expertise and knowledge about these newly introduced concepts, when will go for any job interview.

For those who have already qualified any previous version of this certification exam, can attempt upgrade exam of Oracle and in this way they can update their knowledge and certification both. As the latest version of Java is Java 8 and in coming days, everyone will look for the latest version experts, so it will be better for such candidates that they clear the 1Z0-810 exam of Java and become Java 8 certified professional just through a single exam.

Many developers even after the release of Java 8 exam, are still going for OCPJP 6 exam, so that they can have a Java certification, when they will go for any job interview. However OCPJP 6 is quite difficult as compared to OCAJP7 or 8 versions. Fresher or beginners must not do this mistake and should prepare for OCPJP8 exam, for their career. In this way they would become able to make promising and long lasting career in their dream technology along with a certification. Java certification exams are the key to success in any job interview or to get the complete knowledge of the programming language.

Difference Between OCPJP 7 and OCPJP 8 Exams
Now so far we have discussed about entire available versions of Java certification, but as I said earlier that after the Oracle acquisition over Sun Microsystems the exam is known as OCAJP and OCPJP Java certification exam. Oracle has released two versions of this exam one is OCPJP 7 and other is OCPJP 8 and a number of candidates become confused that which exam version will be suitable for them and what is the difference between both as both are of Oracle.

The clear answer of this question is that OCPJP 8 is the latest version of this exam and if we talk about the difference then there is not a huge difference in both the exams. The preparation time of both the exams is almost same, a few topics have been introduced in OCPJP 8 and it may require a few hours extra preparation forOCPJP 8 exam preparation, rather than OCPJP 7 exam. As Java 8 is the latest version of Java technology and a few concepts have been also introduced, so in OCPJP 8 exam these newly introduced concepts are also there in the exam syllabus.

Overall Difference between Both the Exams:
There are following main differences between OCPJP7 and OCPJP 8 exams and OCAJP7 and OCAJP8 exams, although these differences are not very big, but I am listing them here so that one can know these differences and prepare for the exam accordingly:

If we will talk about the OCPJP7 and OCPJP 8 Exams, then there are lots of differences between both the exams. In OCPJP 8 version a few of the topics have been removed, and some newly introduced concepts of Java8 has been added as exam syllabus. The list of topics, which have been introduced in OCPJP8 exam, is:

Create and use Lambda expressions

Collections Streams and Filters

Iterate using for Each methods of Streams and List

Describe Stream interface and Stream pipeline

Filter a collection by using lambda expressions

Use method references with Streams

Use the built-in interfaces included in the java.util.function package such as Predicate, Consumer, Function, and Supplier

Develop code that uses primitive versions of functional interfaces

Develop code that uses binary versions of functional interfaces

Develop code that uses the UnaryOperator interface

Develop code to extract data from an object using peek() and map() methods including primitive versions of the map() method

Search for data by using search methods of the Stream classes including findFirst, findAny, anyMatch, allMatch, noneMatch

Develop code that uses the Optional class

Develop code that uses Stream data methods and calculation methods

Sort a collection using Stream API

Save results to a collection using the collect method and group/partition data using the Collectors class

Use of merge() and flatMap() methods of the Stream API

Create and manage date-based and time-based events including a combination of date and time into a single object using LocalDate, LocalTime, LocalDateTime, Instant, Period, and Duration

Work with dates and times across timezones and manage changes resulting from daylight savings including Format date and times values

Define and create and manage date-based and time-based events using Instant, Period, Duration, and TemporalUnit

Above listed topics were not there in the OCPJP 7 exam and some topics have been removed from OCPJP 7 exam syllabus, while introducing these topics. The syllabus of OCPJP 7 can be checked from the Oracle website itself.

For OCPJP8 certification preparation, you can collect some tips which will help you surely, if followed properly. Oracle Java Certification exam includes both OCAJP and OCPJP exams and the tips from this article will help you in getting prepare for both the exams. In case if you are not from programming background, then you should firstly read a basic Java Programming Language book, like Head First Java, which will help you in getting familiar with java programming language basics. Appearing in any java certification exam without getting familiar without knowing programming may be of no use.

The students or candidates, who know the subject and its basics well, can easily clear the certification exam of Java. Prior subject knowledge helps in making all practical and theoretical concepts clear to the aspirants, and you can use your experience, knowledge and work while appearing for the exam, However, working experience of Java technology is not essential in order to score well in the exam, but yes you must know the Java coding extensively and must have coded a good number of Java programs in your college days, it will help you a lot when you will appear in the exam.

Tips for OCPJP 8 Certification Exam Preparation
Here in this article the tips, which will be discussed can help the candidates in achieving good marks, even more than 90%. The tips are based on practical experience of the aspirants and are quite easy to follow. As per discussion on various forums like CodeRench or StackOverflow have many such aspirants, who discuss their personal experience for the exam preparation and here is the overall exam preparation guide, based on their real life experience. Once you will include these tips in your day to day routine, you will surely feel happier. Tip 1: Follow a Standard Book
For exam preparation you firstly need a good book, which covers all exam topics, has practice questions and if possible then mock exams as well. For whichever exam version you are preparing, just try to follow the corresponding and relevant book for that particular exam and read all of the concepts thoroughly. If you are new to Java programming, then you can read the book twice to get the complete in-depth knowledge. Try to follow just one book as following more books can make the concepts quite confusing, as each book is differently written.

Popular Books for the Various Exam Versions:

For SCJP 6 Exam or Sun Certified Java Programmer the popular book is of writer Katherine Sierra and Bert Bates. The exam code of SCJP is 310-065.

For Oracle Certified Associate and Programmer certification (OCAJP8 and OCPJP8) exam the popular and latest books are

If you want to prepare for OCA and OCP Java SE7 Programmer I & II exam then you can follow the book by Mala Gupta.

There are also some more good books, which you can follow for the exam. Check them and select anyone from them for exam preparation.

Tip 2: Regular Code Writing
Since Java is a programming language and have a number of concepts, so just like maths if you will practice coding regularly, then you will get more knowledge about the topics and concepts practically, which is much essential for the exam. For this write the code of the examples, given in the book and check whether your answer is correct or not? This way your coding and code reading skills will be enhanced, which is much essential for the exam questions.

While coding you can also check that even a small change in the code can differ the answer or program output. So do not just read the book, reading without coding will not give you desired and guaranteed result.

Tip 3: Try to Solve Book Exercises
Practice exercises are there in every book after the chapter. Solve the quizzes; fill in the blanks and other coding related practice questions of the book. While solving the practice questions, try to know what have you written which makes the answer correct and why this option is correct and other are not in MCQ type questions. Practicing in this way in the learning phase itself, can help you in later exam preparation steps.

Tip 4: Actively Participate in CodeRanch Forum
Forums are one of the best places to boost the preparation and for OCPJP preparation the best forum is coderanch (earlier was Javaranch forum). On the forum you can meet and find a number of aspirants for the exam from all over the world. It is the most active and biggest community of the Java developers and the one who are preparing for various Java certification exams including OCPJP8. You may get all the latest update through this forum about exam, if any changes are going to take place. Hanging around the forum will also give you the information of freely available exam preparation resources like mock exams, ebooks and others.

Tip 5: Practice Mock Exam
Exam preparation without taking the mock exam is quite incomplete. Mock exam gives the environment of real exam, where you can easily evaluate your performance and gauge your accuracy, speed and calibre. You will also get familiar with the type and pattern of the questions, asked in the exam. You can consider these exam as a final tool for exam preparation and try to take the standard and popular mock exams only. You will become able to differentiate the easy and tough questions and will become able to prepare for all levels of the questions.

Above listed five tips for OCPJP 8 exam preparation are not limited to this exam only, instead for any of the certification exam of Java you can follow these tips, if you want to get success in no time and with high score.

Hello friends, you have seen in my previous article How to prepare for OCPJP certification exam. There I have given lot of tips to prepare for Java certification exam. Now in the article, I am going explain more about your preparation for OCPJP8 Exam and I will give some name of the books. You can refer these books for preparation.

Java SE8 was launched in the year 2014 and since then the OCPJP 8 came into existence. Moreover at the same time Oracle changed the rule to become Java SE8 certified developer by making it mandatory to clear both OCAJP8 (Exam 1Z0-808) and OCPJP8 (Exam 1Z0-809) exam. Here among these two levels the first one is called associate level and the second one is known as professional level certification. Earlier when these exams were launched there were not sufficient books available in the market, which could help the aspirants to clear the exam, but now the scenario has been changed and there are many books to prepare for Java SE8 exam. This article is all about the books, which can help the aspirants to clear the exam.

Success Mantra for OCPJP8 Exam
The OCPJP8 exam preparation success mantra is quite simple, for that just pick up a good study book, for that you can choose any of the following listed books, try to write code to practice the various concepts everyday and be honest while practicing, as the coding can help you a lot in getting familiar with the language and finally do practice from some good mock exams. During your preparation just be sure that you are not only writing the code, even also know the concept and logic behind your code and get familiarized with the Java syntax as well. These three mantras:

Reading

Writing

Practicing

Surely, will help you to score well in the exam. There is no hidden rocket science which can help you in getting the certification, apart from this practice routine. The proper routine study and practice even helped a lot of aspirants and is the key to success.

Books to Prepare for the OCPJP8 Exam
Once you will clear OCAJP8 exam, you become eligible to appear in OCPJP8 exam. In order to prepare for OCPJP8 exam you similar preparation as you did for OCAJP 8 exam and for that you need good books, Java IDE to practice and mock exam to test your preparation level. The first step for preparation that is to select the best book may be a good or bad experience for you, depending on the book selection and choice. To select a proper and suitable book is a much important step for exam preparation. Though there is no Kathy Sierra like book for OCPJP 8 preparation so far, but many other books are there in the market, which you can follow for your exam preparation and here are a few of them:

1. Oracle Certified Professional Java SE8 Programmer Exam 1Z0-809 by Ganesh, Hari and Tushar
This is one of the most followed and popular book for OCPJP8 certification exam preparation. This book is just like a study guide for the exam and has all the relevant information about exam and its preparation. The writers of the book Ganesha and Tushar also had a successful book for Java7 exam certification preparation. Again this book of the writers covers a lot for OCPJP 8 exam. The book is filled with all of the exam related study material and practice questions. It has the mock exams as well, which helps the aspirants to check there expertise. The FAQ for Java 8 certification questions can help then aspirants in getting all of the relevant and essential information about the exam. As the exam consists of both OCAJP8 and OCPJP8 certifications, so he questions are listed to clear the doubts of the both the exams.

2. OCP: Oracle Certified Professional Java SE 8 Programmer I & II Study Guide
To prepare for the exam of OCPJP8 1Z0-809 this is one of the another book which is quite recommended and covers a lot of exam related details and information. The book writers are Jeanne Boyarsky and Scott Setikoff and this is the second edition of their book. Their first book is for OCAJP 8 Certification and is quite popular and successful book for the OCAJP8 exam preparation. The second edition of the book is for OCPJP8 exam and cover 100% exam syllabus and has lots of practice questions as well. The students who follow this book, surely clear the exam of OCPJP8 which is much tough then of OCAJP8 exam. The writers are available on Javarench forum and there they solve the Java doubts as well. Their book for Java 8 certification is quite helpful and reading the book thoroughly can guarantee your success in the exam.

3. OCA Java SE 8 Programmer I Certification Guide by Mala Gupta
This is another very good book for OCPJP8 certification exam. Mala Gupta has given best effort for this book. This book covers all topics required for OCPJP8 certification exam and given lots mock questions similar to the real OCPJP8 certification exam.

4. A Programmer Guide to Java SE 8 Oracle Certified Associate (OCA) by Khalid Mughal
This is very popular book for Java SE 8 Oracle certification exam. This book has very good contents, it has focused only some selected topics which suitable for the OCPJP8 certification exam. You could purchase this book as well for your preparation.

5. Oracle Certified Professional Java SE8 Programmer Exam 1Z0-809: A Comprehensive OCPJP 8 Certification Guide
Though the author of this book is new for such type of certification books, but even the first book of them is getting popularity and positive reviews. On various Java forums, the students are recommending this book to get success in the OCPJP8 exam. The book is available online and can be easily ordered from online e-commerce websites. The book is filled with all of the relevant study material for Java 8 exam and can provide help to the aspirants through its exam oriented study material, preparation questions and mock exams.

Apart from the above listed books, there are many sites which can help the aspirants to prepare for the exam and have many practice questions, you can search on the net in order to practice for the OCPJP8 certification exam. Students can check their performance and preparation level by using other resources as well. Mock exams are one of them, which can help the aspirants a lot. Try to practice as many such mock exams as possible. The mock exams are available in free and paid both modes, you can go for any or can use the exam simulator to check the preparation level.

To get success in the exam, just read any of the above listed books or all of the books if time permits you, practice the sample questions and check your performance. In this way you can easily get success in the exam easily and conveniently.

After the Oracle acquisition on Sun, now the SCJP certification is known as OCPJP or Oracle Certified Professional Java Programmer Certification. The latest version of this exam is OCPJP8. The OCPJP certification is mainly for those who want to have a promising, proven and long lasting career in Java technology. To clear the certification exam, one needs to prepare for the exam and he or she must be proficient in theory and practical both. Studying and Practicing are the key factors behind success of this exam, which can be done in a number of ways. You could follow my core java tutorialto take basic understanding about the Java language.

Exam Details
Since the launch of Java7, Oracle has split the exam or certification in two parts:

OCAJP

OCPJP

For the professional level certifications the Associate Level certification is mandatory and that’s why people still take OCPJP6, and they need not to take OCAJP exam. Well, but you may be asked to get the latest version certification, so it is better to approach for the latest like OCPJP8.

Certification Name: OCPJP 8

Exam Code: 1z0-809

Exam Duration: 150 minutes

Number of Questions: 85 MCQs

Passing Score: 65% (50 Correct Questions out of 85)

Pre-Requisite: OCAJP 8

Paper Cost: $300

Why OCPJP8?
Now if you are thinking that how this certification can help you in your career, then there can be a number of reasons, depending on your case, but a few of the most common and beneficial reasons, can be as listed below:

Can Provide You Complete Knowledge: As the certification exam course is designed in such a way, that it covers all popular and mostly used topics of Java, starting from basic to advanced level, so we can say that it covers all fundamentals of Java and can provide the complete knowledge of Java platform.

Proof of Skill Set: You may be a Java expert, but in order to proof your skill and Java proficiency, the certification and its score can be a key asset. Moreover at the time of any job interview you can easily convince the interviewer and proof your skill, just by presenting your OCPJP8 marks or certification.

Can Provide You Promotion and Salary Increment: An Addition of any new skill set or credential in your resume can become credible for you. So if you want to be recognized at your work place or waiting for any increment or promotion, then this certification will surely help you in achieving your dream.

So it is quite obvious that the addition of OCPJP8 Java certification can provide you man benefits, either you are going to start your career as a Java Professional or want to enhance your skill set.

Now let’s see that what are the main topics of Java, covered by this exam or what is the Syllabus of OCPJP8 Certification exam?

Curriculum of OCPJP8 Certification Exam
Following are the topics from which you can find the question sin this certification exam:

Java Class Design

Advanced Java Class Design

Generics and Collections

Lambda Built-in Functional Interfaces

Exceptions and Assertions

Java I/O Fundamentals

Java Stream API

Use of Java SE 8 Date/Time API

Java File I/O

Building Database Application with JDBC

Localization

Java Concurrency

How to Prepare for the Exam?1. Learn the Certification Paths with Popular Books

Firstly check for the latest version of the certification like for this OCPJP the latest version is “8”. Therefore start with the latest version and check that what is the pre-requisite for the exam and the topics covered in the exam. The details of every exam are listed on the Oracle website, so you can find the detailed syllabus right there. As the syllabus covers both basic and advance level topics, so to demonstrate your knowledge just cover all the topics like Java APIs, JDBC, Java I/O handling and all of the above listed topics. In this way create a proper learning plan or path for your exam and then attempt for the certification exam.

A few good books can help you in exam preparation successfully. A few most recommended books are Kathey Siera and Bert Bates and try to read at least twice this book. Apart from this some eBooks are also there.

2. Know the Latest Version Features of Java
Java keep on releasing the new versions, like so far the latest version of Java was 7, but now Java8 has been released as well. Check out the new features, introduced in Java8, e.g. The version 8 exam of Oracle has following new topics as an additional ones:

A new API for Date/Time

Lambda Expressions for Predicate Interface

Static and Default methods in Interface

3. Solve the Sample Questions
Try to solve the sample questions of the exam and try to find and solve as many sample questions as possible. The site of Oracle itself has much study material for exam preparation and apart from that you can also Google for the best sites for sample questions, many sites have such question sets. Though the exam is of multiple choice questions but for the questions there may be more than one correct options of a single question, which makes the exam more difficult. So practice for such questions and practice for them. At some sites you can find the moc k exams, which are just similar to the main exam, so just look at them and then solve them.

4. Register your Exam Voucher
For any of the Oracle certification exam, including OCPJP8 one need to register on the Oracle site and to buy the exam voucher. The voucher comes with a validity, which can be 6 months and it may cost you $300. Well, one can re register for the exam after 14 days if he fails in first attempt. Then you will also have to find a Prometric exam center in your location. It will be the location, from where you can give your exam.

5. Result
When you will give he exam, within 30 minutes the result will be declared and the score is sent to you via the mail. So you can quickly know the result. e Certificate is also issued within 3-4 days time only.